Drip tray for toilet tanks



v E LAUFENBERG DRIP TRAY FOR Mimi, TANKS Filed Jan 31, 1949 Feb.20,1951

Patented Feb. 20, 1,951 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,542,338 DRIP TRAY FOR TOILET TANKS Virgil Laufenberg, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to vLaufenberg, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 31, 1949, Serial No. 73,740

for catching the moisture condensate which drips from toilet flush tanks and conducting it into the bowl of the toilet to thereby prevent wetting and soiling of the floor under and adjacent to the toiLt are well known, examples being shown in the patents to Herodes et al., No. 2,180,902

and Wimmer, No. 1,863,211.

Such trays, however, have heretofore been adapted for use only with toilets of the older type in which the flush tank is mounted some distance above the toilet bowl and has a pipe extending downwardly from its bottom to the toilet bowl to conduct flushing water to the latter. As shown in the two patents above referred to, the collection tray is'normally secured to this pipe, and because it is mounted at an elevation above the rim of the toilet bowl the tray may be provided with an aperture through which moisture collected therein maybe led off through a short hose or tube into the toilet bowl.

The modern type of toilet, however, has its flush tank seated on a shelf-like extension which projects rearwardly from the top of the toilet bowl and which is constructed integrally there-- with, the flushing water pipe being enclosed in a porcelain bulge below the shelf. By reason of this construction previous types of drip trays cannot be used with modern toilets; first, be

cause the modern toilet does not have an accessible pipe extending downwardly from the flush tank upon which the drip tray may be secured, and second, because gravity drainage from the drip tray into the toiLt bowl is precluded by reason of the fact that the bottom of the tank is substantially on the level of the toilet bowl rim so that the old type drip tray, if 'it could be mounted under the .fiush tank, would be situated below the rim of the bowl.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a drip tray or pan for collecting moisture condensing upon the sides of toilet flush tanks which tray is particularly well suited for use with.

toilets of the modern type.

Another and very important object of this invention is to provide a toilet tank drip tray of the character described which will provide means for disposing of the moisture collected ,6 Claims (01.4-25.2)

Ill

by the tray without necessitating its transfer to the toilet bowl.

Another, object of this invention resides in the provision of a particularly convenient and:

inconspicuous means for readily removably attaching a .drip tray to a toilet installation hi the character described beneath the toilet flush tank thereof.

Still another object of this invention resides in the provision of a drip tray of the character described which may be readily installed beneath the flush tank of a modern type toilet without necessitating any changes in the structure of the toilet and without any danger of marrlng or defacing the same.

With the above and other objects in view. which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come withinthe scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best, mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toilet of the modern type having the drip tray of this invention installed thereon; and

Figure 2 is a .side .elevational view of a toilet having the drip tray of this invention installed;

thereon, a portion being cut away to illustrate detail.-

Referring now more particularly to the ac-- companying drawing, the numeral 5 indicates generally the bowl of a modern type toilet fromthe rear of which there extends a shelf-like support 6, the top or the shelf being substantially flush with the rim of the bowl. A flush tank I is supported by the shelf, and beneath the shelf a rearward extension or ledge 8 of the bowl pro- It are mounted on the bowl by means of a hinge ll secured in position by a pair of studs .12 extending through holes in the shelf-like support 5 and having-nuts l3threaded thereon and drawn.

tight against the'underside of the support.

The tray M of this invention comprises a shallow substantially rectangular pan, the length and width of which are slightly greater than the width and depth, respectively, of the flush tank. A deep substantially U-shaped notch or cutout I5 at the center of the front edge of the tray accommodates the rearward extension 8 of the toilet bowl, while a smaller U-shaped notch l6 in the rear edge of the tray accommodates the supply pipe through which flushing water enters the tank. A shallow upstanding rim surrounds the entire perimeter of the tray, including the sides of the notches l5 and [6.

The tray is supported in position beneath the tank by means" of a pair of elongated brackets I! clamped to the underside of the support 6 by the nuts threaded on the hinge studs [2. These brackets extend rearwardly from the studs l2 and each comprises an elongated strip of band iron or the like having its end portions offset in opposite directions as at l8 but parallel to the body of the bracket. Each offset end portion has a'hole through which a stud may be passed. By virtue of the offset in the end of the bracket secured to the toilet bowl, the body of each bracket liesin a plane below the shelf 6'so that the tray can rest on the two rearwardly extending brackets with its rim spaced a short distance below the bottom surface of the supporting shelf. 7

. One end I9 of each bracket is offset from the body of the bracket more than the other end 20 so that the height at which the tray is supported below theshelf may be adjusted by selection of the end of the brackets to be anchored to the underside of the shelf 6.

It is to be observed that since the tray merely rests upon the brackets it may be easily removed for cleaning.

"Moisture accumulating in the tray or pan is removed therefrom by one or more absorption blocks 2| of bibulous material such as unglazed porous clay or the like. Each block is supported with the body thereof off the bottom of the tray by feet 22 which hold the body of the block above the rim on the pan. Hence the bottom as well as the top of the body of the block is exposed to the atmosphere for betterevaporation of moisture therefrom; it being understood that the condensed moisture accumulating in the tray rises from the bottom of the tray through the feet 22 by capillary action. 7

1 From the foregoing description taken together With' the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that this invention provides a relatively simple yet highly elficient device for collecting,

and disposing of the condensate which normally drips from toilet flush tanks, and which device includes a tray or pan particularly adapted for use with modern type toilets in which the flush tank is supported directly on a rearward extension ofthe toilet bowl.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with a toilet of the type having a bowl provided with'a rearwardly extending ledge, a fiush tank mounted directly upon said ledge, and a seat and cover hinge fixed to said ledge adjacent to the bowl by bolts passing through the ledge, one at each side thereof: a.

pair of bracket arms fastened to the ledge by said bolts, said bracket arms extending substantially horizontally back along the opposite sides of the ledge and having their rear end portions disposed under the flush tank; and a shallow pan under the flush tank resting upon said bracket arms, said pan having an unbroken marginal rim and having a relatively deep recess in its front edge portion to enable the pan to embrace the connection between the fiush tank and the ledge.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the fact that each of said arms is offset downwardly at a point adjacent to its attachment to said ledge whereby the rear end portions of the arms are spaced a distance beneath the underside of the ledge.

3. The combination of claim 2 further characterized by the fact that the rear extremity of each of the arms is likewise offset downwardly but to an extent different from that of the offset at the anchored end of the arm so as to enable adjustment of the height to which the 4. The combination defined in claim 1 further characterized by the fact that each of said bracket arms comprises an elongated strip havin its end portions offset to opposite sides of the body of the arm to provide apertured attaching portions parallel to the body of the arm but spaced different distances therefrom, whereby eitherend of the arms may be anchored to the ledge to thereby afford adjustment of the height to which the pan is supported by selection of the end of the arm to be anchored;

5. Condensation" collecting and dissipating.

means for the flush tank of a toilet of the type wherein the flush tank is mounted directly upon a ledge extending rearwardly from the upper por tion of the toilet bowl and which the seat and, cover hinge are fixed to said ledge, adjacent to the bowl, by bolts passing through the ledge, one; at each side thereof, said means comprising: a

pair of elongated bracket arms each havin an aperture at one end thereof through which one of said bolts is adapted to pass to mount said arms substantially horizontally and extending back along the opposite sides of the ledge with their rear end portions disposed under the flush; tank; and a shallow pan adapted to rest on said; bracket arms under the flush tank, said pan hav-' ing an unbroken upstanding marginal-rim'and.

having a relatively deep recess in its front edge portion to enable the pan to embrace the connection between the flush tank and the ledge.

,3 6. The structure of claim 5 further characterized by the provision of bibulous means of a size tofit in the shallow pan and beneath the flush:

tank when the pan is in position thereunder to facilitate evaporation of moisture which collects in the pan.

VIRGIL E. LAUFENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Austria Feb. 10, 1932 

